I’m Growing Up! (How This Life Coach Keeps Growing)

Well, then, you might not want to hire me, because I am all about personal growth and continuing to GROW myself as a coach. I am GROWING UP!

When we purchase a plant or actually put seeds in the ground, we have to water and nurture the plant; otherwise, it will die. The same goes for our lives! True, you may not die from feeding yourself a constant diet of reality TV, National Enquirers, and gossiping with friends, but how will these things grow you as the unique creation of God you are?

In my first life as an elementary school teacher, I had to take summer classes and attend conferences to maintain my teaching credential. In fact, I’ve always had to do such things in every career I’ve had, and life coaching is no different.

Here are 6 ways I invest in myself as a coach so I can be at my best for my clients and continue to GROW!

I participate in monthly masterminds and coaching groups. We coaches learn from each other and get ideas for serving our clients, dealing with “iffy” situations, and creating better retreats. My favorite monthly group is the one I have with my fellow retreat coaches, led by the wonderful Master Coach Helene Van Manen. You can learn more about us here: http://iretreat.org/about/

I am a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), and I frequently meet with fellow coaches in my region and engage in peer coaching with them. Peer coaching is exactly what is sounds like: We coach each other, working in trios where one is the coach, one is the client, and the third person is the evaluator. Everyone gets to serve in each role. What a great learning experience!

I commit to one additional certification each year or at least every year and a half. The learning is invaluable, and I am able to offer additional benefits to my clients. In recent years, I have added Stress-Relief Coach, Joy Restoration Coach, and Relationship Communication Specialist to my certifications; and I usually infuse every coaching session with something I learned from these programs. Maybe you’re interested in these programs developed by the amazing Leelo Bush, Ph.D (and Jenny Grace Morris on the relationship course). View these offerings at https://pccca.org.

I spend 45 minutes to an hour every morning in prayer, scripture, and journaling. In fact, I have done this for 30+ years, even when I was neck deep in sin and denial, even in being a working mother and making sure I saw my sons off to school each morning with full tummies. I can’t do anything when I don’t begin my day with God. I seek everyday to be Christ to others, and I usually fail in some way, but everyday I GROW in my faith. This ingrained practice helps me stay focused on what’s important in life and helps me serve my clients who want to be coached from a Christ-centered perspective.

I build margin into my life. One of the pillars of my coaching practice is life balance. On the rare days I don’t have margin in my life (and they are rare), I am completely out of whack. I am a person who needs margin in her life. I never schedule back-to-back coaching sessions, and I always schedule down time, which might just be sitting on my porch in the early evening with a glass of wine and a good book. Most of us need margin in our daily lives, and we can GROW in those white spaces. We need breaks!

Finally, I practice self-care on a daily basis. Again, I strongly encourage my clients to do this, so I’d better practice what I preach. Self-care is important for everyone, even our children. Baths, exercise, and meditation figure prominently in my schedule… and so does playing in dirt and pulling weeds… VERY therapeutic!

How are YOU growing up? I’d love to hear from you! And if you need help with your goals, growing your business, making time for yourself, building your self-esteem, or growing your faith, contact me for a FREE consultation. This ever-growing coach would be honored to work with you!

Amy Walton is a multi-certified life coach who lives in coastal Virginia but coaches women around the country, thanks to those great inventions FaceTime and Skype. Although she’s well into her fifties-with a 30-something state of mind- she’s still growing up, day by day by day. She’ll help YOU grow, too! Connect with her at http://www.amywaltoncoaching.com